Understanding the Needs and Concerns of Travelers With Disabilities

As a travel advisor, one of your goals is to create seamless experiences for your clients. From the start of the planning process to the arrival back home after the trip, you want your travelers’ vacations to be effortless – especially since the point of vacation for most people is relaxation.

Lately it seems we’ve seen obstacles stand in the way for almost every traveler, from flight cancellations and extensive entry requirements to overpriced accommodations and canceled tours. Booking a vacation these days is no easy task.

According to a report released by MMGY Global earlier this month, Portrait of Travelers with Disabilities: Mobility & Accessibility, there are even more barriers for travelers with mobility issues. Companies within the travel industry don’t always have travelers with mobility aids in mind, and this recent study was put together to create awareness around the needs and concerns of travelers with disabilities and help make travel more inclusive for everyone.

After hearing from more than 2,700 Americans with mobility disabilities as well as their companions, the survey highlighted several alarming challenges this group of travelers is facing. In regard to transportation, four in 10 travelers have had mobility aids lost or damaged by an airline, and six in 10 experienced wait times for mobility assistance before or after a flight. When it comes to accommodations, 54 percent checked in to a room that didn’t match the type of room they booked, and 81 percent have had to deal with inaccessible showers or tubs. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

It’s not all bad news though – Lisa Zwissler, a travel advisor with Beach Bum Vacation, explained she’s noticed an increased awareness of accessible travel over the years but that there is still room for growth. “I have noticed a difference though I still think there is a lot of room for improvement,” she said. “More hotels are offering the beach wheelchairs and pool chairs. Hotels are doing a better job of keeping paths well lit, having ramps and having restaurants throughout the hotel and not always in a concentrated area.”

There are also several tour companies dedicated to accessibility and wheelchair-accessible resorts for advisors to keep top of mind. Travel agents can make a big difference when it comes to working with travelers with disabilities and have the opportunity to create successful trips for those facing more obstacles.

Lynn Clark, a travel advisor affiliated with Travel Leaders, pointed out that when agents are serving travelers with disabilities, it’s important to learn the specific needs of their clients and remember that not all disabilities fall under the same umbrella. “Just like a reporter, you have to ask really good questions and then, of course, listen to what your clients are saying,” she said. “You have to understand the impact of the person’s disability to be able to help them.”

Travelers with mobility disabilities (currently spending $58.2 billion per year on travel) should be able to enjoy all the same experiences travelers without disabilities enjoy, and MMGY Global aims to make this a priority across the industry. The full Portrait of Travelers with Disabilities: Mobility & Accessibility report can be accessed here, and all proceeds from the report sales are donated to the United Spinal Association.

“United Spinal is grateful for the work of MMGY Global in raising awareness on the accessibility needs of travelers with mobility disabilities,” said Vincenzo Piscopo, United Spinal’s President and CEO. “As a wheelchair user, I know firsthand the barriers our community must overcome when traveling, including damage to mobility equipment at the airport to encountering unexpected accessibility issues at hotels and other venues. Identifying these issues is critical to ensuring travel is accessible to all.”

About the Author

Codie Liermann is the managing editor of The Compass. She began her career in the industry as a travel advisor prior to working as an editor. With a passion for creating valuable content for travel advisors, she aims to develop meaningful relationships with all types of travel companies in order to share their unique messages with the travel agency community.